I would like to go on a Yangtze river cruise (but also to include Beijing, Xian and Shanghai) in May 2008. Will I experience disruptions with the country getting ready for the 2008 Summer Olympics? Beijing tourist sites close for security or renovation or any other disruptions? Will prices be cheaper to lure tourists or prices higher?
Go to China in 2008 if you want to avoid the Olympics?
First off, I would strongly recommend that you skip the 3 Gorges cruise.
I did the cruise in January 2007 (last month) and found it a royal waste of my time and money. There was only 1 ferry running on the day that we wanted to travel, so we had no choice. I didn%26#39;t really go with any tour operator, just called up the 1st number that was listed in Lonely Planet China 2002. Their office was near the ferry dock.
The weather wasn%26#39;t that great (well, that can%26#39;t be helped I guess), the scenery was much less than stellar and the conditions on the boat were not up to scratch. The sidetrips were a bit disappointing as well.
If you%26#39;re interested in ';gorge-ous'; scenery, I would much rather recommend Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan province or Yangshuo in Guangxi province.
The ferry ride was 3D4N, and hot showers were only available for about 1.5 days out of all the time we were on the boat -- definitely no hot water when the ferry%26#39;s not moving. There%26#39;s no heating on the ferry at all despite the fact that it%26#39;s winter, and I felt cold, damp and miserable for most of the trip -- the blankets weren%26#39;t really helpful as they were absorbing all the moisture! I think I was lucky to come off the ferry with nothing more than a chill.
The famous ';best'; sidetrip, the Little 3 Gorges, were so-so only, I think I would%26#39;ve expected more from it. The sidetrips cost extra and were marginally cheaper if you booked in advance rather than when on the ferry. We only went for Fengdu Ghost City and the Little 3 Gorges (no, not even for the dam) as we weren%26#39;t interested in seeing new, reconstructed attractions.
Our 1st-class cabin (2 people) cost 1042 RMB each inclusive of the bus transfer from the ferry disembarkation point to Yichang city. If you%26#39;re taking the foreign cruise ships, note that the price would differ according to your passport nationality. For example, in January, it would cost about 1700 RMB if you%26#39;re a Chinese citizen but about 2000+ RMB for me (Singaporean passport) and about 2400 RMB if you%26#39;re a Westerner. I%26#39;m not sure if travellers would agree with that kind of discriminatory pricing.
Based on my own experiences, and the opinions that I%26#39;ve generally been getting over time on various travel forums, I would strongly advise you to really give it a miss. There%26#39;re reasons why the 3 Gorges cruise is popular with tour operators -- once you%26#39;re on it, you%26#39;re a sitting duck and they can relax and do nothing for 4 days. They get a holiday (from their work) and you get 4 days of boredom and frustration.
China is constantly under construction anyway, so if you go after the Olympics, they%26#39;ll just be doing more construction for something else anyway -- eg Shanghai%26#39;s Expo 2010. No more disruptions now than later.
The sights are definitely not all closed for renovation, they would have to be mad to close completely and miss out on the potential revenue. Some sights have certain parts which are under renovation, but even without the Olympics they would be as well -- just that it%26#39;s on a larger scale now.
I don%26#39;t think admission prices would go down anytime in the future, they all look to be going up and up.
Go to China in 2008 if you want to avoid the Olympics?
I agree with Ellyse
I did the Yangtze river cruise in the summer of 2003. It was not so bad then as it was during the so called SARS pandemic season and very few westen tourists were around...Even to find a boat to do the cruise was not easy...Nevertheless it was an experience which I believe back in 2003 was worth doing it as the river basin was not yet completely full and you still could see some of the old villages...today...I am not sure...if it is worth..
Happy travels
try to start your trave ASAP,waitting may lose many time and in 2008 there will be much crowed everywhere in beijing.
Have a nice trip !
Jeff
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